Curiosity Killed the Chat Noir
by Luki Dimension
Summary: In one universe, after beating Lady Wi-fi, when Ladybug runs into the cupboard to transform with less than a minute to go, Chat Noir closes the door and runs away. This is not that universe.


_So...guess who found a new fandom?_

Loving a lot of the identity reveal fanfics running around, but kind of disappointed there aren't more 'what if' fics for episodes. There are A LOT of possible alternative ways things could have gone, especially for this episode.

(Also known as my explanation for why I can't even write happy get-together fic even for the most lighthearted and sweet romantic cartoon ever).

* * *

 **Curiosity Killed the Cat Noir**

"Nobody must know who we really are. Not even us."

Chat Noir's eyes dimmed at the final dismissal, hand dropping to his side as Ladybug shut the door. Well, that was that. Ladybug had brushed off every attempt he'd made at finding out her identity, not even willing to give him a hobby to work with. Even if she cared for him, she wouldn't let Chat into her civilian life. All he could do now was find somewhere to transform privately, head on home and fantasize about what couldn't be.

Except…

His eyes glanced down at the handle. Ladybug hadn't actually closed the door…

Almost without thinking, his hand gripped the brass fixture, and inched it open. There was a flash of light from within, and he froze.

The girl behind the mask was inside. The only thing between them was a half open door.

He needed to go – slam the door shut and bolt somewhere before his own transformation wore off, but something kept him planted where he was.

She didn't want him to know. They weren't supposed to know the face behind the mask.

But Chat couldn't keep living like this. This whole fiasco with Chloe and Lady Wi-Fi had shaken him – for one brief moment he'd genuinely believed Chloe was his partner. That the kind, brave, incredible woman he'd devoted himself to was in fact the spoilt, shallow, cruel girl he did admittedly call friend but nothing else. His nerves were still raw from the panic, from the idea that he'd never really known the girl behind the mask. He needed to know Ladybug. All of Ladybug.

And hey, better to ask forgiveness than permission. That's how the saying went, right?

God only knows Plagg seemed to live by that mantra.

His hand tightened, and he threw the door open, and his eyes widened as the inhabitant spun round in shock, hands curled around a small red creature. Both jaws dropped as the took in the other.

"Chat Noir!"

"M-Marinette?"

* * *

Chat couldn't believe it. The shy, quiet girl who sat behind him in class? Who had been so angry with him on his first day and then never seemed to say more than two words to him?

And he'd thought Chloe had been unbelievable. Still, he couldn't help the smile that was creeping onto his face, oblivious to the reaction bubbling on the girl in front of him.

Ladybug was in his class. She could have been anyone, a complete stranger that he'd have to hunt down once he had a face, but no. The girl of his dreams had literally been right behind him since the day they met, and he'd never realised it. It had to be fate.

But before he could voice that thought, he was caught off guard by a vase being thrown at his face.

"You jerk!"

Chat Noir yelped, ducking out of the way and wincing at the sound of smashed ceramic. Marinette however, wasn't dissuaded, grabbing a box and repeating the action.

"How could you!"

Chat didn't let her grab a third, leaping into the cupboard and catching her hands.

Unfortunately, his lady was nothing if not resourceful, and he winced as she lashed out a foot and landed a sizable dent in his shin.

"Ladybug, Marinette, wait- "

"Don't you take anything seriously?"

"This is a good thing, I swear- "

He was cut off as his ring started beeping furiously, eyes glancing down as his hands loosened instinctively, but he brushed off the knee jerk reaction to bolt and turned his attention back to Marinette, who had already yanked her hands back.

"Look, it's okay Marinette. I'll just transform back too and- "

She didn't let him finish, grabbing his arm and spinning round. Without her suit she didn't have much strength, but the act caught him off guard, sending him stumbling into the wall. In the seconds it took him to stable, Marinette had fled, slamming the door shut and leaving Chat Noir alone. He could only stare at the door, unable to leave without risking getting caught in public mid-transformation. A moment later, his time finally ran out, and the second he was out of black, Adrian bolted, running into the lobby and desperately trying to catch a glimpse of pigtails.

It was no good. Marinette was long gone, not even in sight when he walked out the doors and stared into the streets. His shoulders dropped, and he found himself slumping to the ground, head in his hands. A few moments later, he felt Plagg land on his shoulder.

"Well, if it's any consolation," his Kwami began. "It _could_ have gone worse."

"Shut up Plagg."

* * *

Marinette didn't even remember how she got home, only registering that she had when her father yelled at her for slamming her door shut. She ignored him, clambering to her bed and grabbing a pillow, screaming into it.

How dare he!

Ladybug had trusted him. Chat Noir was her friend, her partner. He had her back, and she had his. Their one rule was simple and adamant. They weren't supposed to reveal their identities, and he'd gone and thrown that out of the window.

She screamed again, before slumping down and curling into a ball. Tikki, who had been silent throughout her run home, floated down, brushing a few strands of hair from her face.

"I should have guessed Plagg wouldn't enforce the rules with his wielder" she said. Marinette snorted.

"Considering he taught Chat how to transform before teaching him the limitations? Yeah, I guess I shouldn't be. I just can't believe he'd betray me like that."

Maybe part of it was her own fault. She'd been so desperate to get out of sight she'd not bothered to close the door all the way. Perhaps Chat had seen that as an invitation.

But she'd told him no, and he'd walked straight in anyway. And then decided he could make everything better by deactivating his transformation and compromising himself! Thank god she'd had enough mental fortitude to get out before he could mess things up even further.

She groaned, anger starting to ebb way for misery, and she tried to bite down the tears threatening the fall.

Why? Why did that stupid cat have to mess everything up? Why couldn't he just have been satisfied with Ladybug? She didn't care how happy he'd looked when he'd realised who she-

Wait…

Her sniffles paused as she remembered what her partner had said when he'd seen her face.

How had Chat known her name?

* * *

"Dude, did you sleep at all last night?"

Adrien groaned as his friend met him outside the college door. "Good to see you too Nino."

To be fair, he'd barely gotten more than a few hours, his brain too busy running in circles regarding Ladybug's real identity.

The ridiculous thing about it all was just how obvious it was now that he knew the truth. Marinette might not be the most outspoken person to Adrien, but her anger had been obvious on his first day, when she thought he'd been putting gum on her seat. The girl didn't stand for anyone putting her down.

And the hat competition! For all that Marinette might have squeaked and spluttered when Adrien complimented her designs, the second Chloe tried to take credit for her work, Marinette shut her down so thoroughly his Dad had actually been impressed! By a teen designer! That confidence and certainty – Chat Noir knew it like he knew himself – how had he not seen it?

And that wasn't even taking in the most obvious physical details. Adrien's face was all over Paris, so he was grateful the mask and ears changed his eyes and hair enough to make them less obvious, but Ladybug's hair and eyes were exactly the same as Marinette's. Yet the idea that his collegemate could also be his partner never even crossed his mind, how stupid could he get?

One might argue that Marinette had never figured out Chat Noir was Adrian, but the teen was well aware that his alter ego acted _nothing_ like the perfect Agreste son, and like he said, he ended up with a lot more physical alterations than his lady. Not that his lady wasn't perfectly capable of figuring it out but-

"Yo, Earth to Adrien? You in there buddy."

He jerked up as Nino clapped a hand on his shoulder, the two of them heading inside. "You were about to walk into a wall man. Seriously, how much sleep did you get?"

Adrien smiled, brushing off the hand. "Sorry man" he said. "I've just had something on my mind."

Nino grinned. "Really? I don't think I've ever seen you this out of sorts. What is it? Girl trouble?"

Adrien flinched, unable to stop the blush tinting his cheeks, and Nino's jaw dropped.

"Wait…seriously? You've got girl troubles?"

"Hey keep it down will you!" Adrien hissed, head frantically checking for anyone who could have heard. "If Chloe hears you I'll never shake her."

Nino winced, and continued with a forced whisper. "Sorry man, but seriously, you've finally fallen for someone? You're gonna break a lot of hearts with that news."

Marinette's face filled with anger flitted through his mind, and Adrien sighed. "It's not like that" he explains, and glanced around again as they headed for the stairs. Once he was satisfied there was no one around who might overhear, he continued.

"I mean, there is a girl, but that's not really the problem" he said, deciding to separate the issues for sanity's sake. "I'm having trouble with a…work friend."

"Ooh? Another model?" Nino joked, and Adrien gave a nervous chuckle.

"Not exactly, though I wouldn't mind doing a photoshoot with them" he replied, idly thinking back of that day in the park before Stormy Weather had shown up. To think he'd been so close and yet so far.

Not the time Adrien, focus! Best stick to the story of friends – he fully intends to ask Marinette out within the week and adding a model crush will confuse everything.

"A-Anyway, we've known each other a while, and I think we're pretty good friends, they've never really shown any interest in getting to know me outside of work" he continues. "They also had this big…secret, I guess, that nobody was supposed to know. It was really important to them."

Nino frowns. "What kind of secret?"

Adrien shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. What matters is I had the chance to find out what it was. They asked me not to, but I didn't listen, and now I know."

"And it was so horrible you don't know if you like them anymore?" Nino guesses, and jerks back as Adrien all but looms over him.

"No!" he insists. "If anything I like her-them, even more now! But when I found out, they got pretty upset because I betrayed their trust. I tried to explain that I didn't care, and that I'd give up a really big secret of my own in exchange, but they just ran off. Now I don't know what do when we see each other again."

Not helped by the fact that he was going to see her again in approximately 30 seconds when they walked through the classroom door, although she wasn't going to know that.

"Wow, sounds rough" Nino mused. "But maybe they'll be happier with the apology once they've had some time to cool down? I mean, they must know you'll never tell anyone, right? Hell, you won't even tell me their gender."

His friend wags his eyebrows and Adrien droops in embarrassment. Yeah, he hadn't been particularly subtle there.

"Well, I've never messed up that badly with someone, but I don't suppose apologising would do any good?" Nino asked. "In addition to you using that Agreste fortune to buy something shiny and expensive to sweeten the deal?"

Adrien made to scoff, then paused.

"Think that would work? I mean, I can see it working for Chloe but-"

"Hey, can't hurt, right?"

By that point they'd arrived at the classroom, and Adrien tensed up before heading inside.

What should he do when he saw Marinette? She was always so awkward around him? Should he say hi? Play it cool? Act like everything's normal?

It ended up being a question without an answer – Marinette's seat was empty, and he gave himself a mental kick when he remembered that the girl very rarely made it to class before him. Alya however, was sitting down and throwing smirks in Chloe's direction.

"Hey, thought you were still suspended" Nino greeted. "How'd you get them to lift the ban?'

The girl grinned. "Well, when you turn into a supervillain and get the principal to admit preferential treatment to every single person in Paris, he's very big on trying to brush it under the rug."

She leans over her desk with an unholy look of glee on her face. "Princess Chloe has been giving me the stink eye ever since I walked in, but there's nothing she can do about it and she knows it. I'm half ready to send Hawkmoth a fruit basket."

Both boys winced, and Alya's delight faded a little.

"Okay, that was a little too far. Sorry Nino."

The boy shrugs. "Eh, don't worry about it. Can't pretend it didn't work out better for you than it did me."

"So, how are you doing?" Adrien asks. "Even if you're not suspended anymore, don't think anyone would have thought less of you for taking the day off."

Alya just shook her head. "Honestly, I just want to put it behind me. Besides, I don't remember any of it, and I need to speak to people who saw it while it's still embedded in their minds for my blog. I was hoping to catch Marinette since apparently, she just missed Lady Wi-fi's interrogation of the principal, but she wasn't answering my calls."

She threw the hand carrying the phone in the air in frustration. "Again! Where is that girl, Mars?"

"Sorry Alya. It was a rough night."

All three of them jerked their heads up as Marinette stumbled into the class. Chloe and Sabrina immediately burst into snickers, and Alya's eyes widened.

"Marinette? What happened to you?"

Adrien paled as he took in the girl heading into the room. If he'd only gotten a few hours, Marinette clearly hadn't gotten any. She'd clearly tried to hide the bags under her eyes with makeup, but not given herself enough time, because it wasn't properly blended, while her pigtails looked as if she'd tied them up on her way to college. She gave her friend a small smile that didn't quite meet her eyes.

"I'm okay Alya. I just couldn't sleep last night" she offered. "But how are you? Are you okay after what happened?"

Alya scoffed, sliding across the wood and taking Marinette's face in her hands, trying to rub in the powder.

"Girl, **you** look like the one who got akumatised" she mutters. "Have you been crying?"

The pigtailed girl immediately jerks away, moving to the far edge.

"I'm fine Alya, really."

The girl didn't look convinced, and Marinette looked away, only to realise Nino and Adrien were staring at her. She immediately turned red and slumped down on her desk.

Any further conversation was immediately scuppered by the bell, and all four of them reluctantly turned their attention to class.

* * *

Adrien had hoped that he could catch Marinette at lunch and speak to her. Possibly with a kwami reveal, or at the very least have a conversation that involved coherent sentences. However, the second the lunch

bell hit, Alya had grabbed Marinette's hand and yanked her out the door before Adrien could even get out of his seat. He slumped back and sighed.

This really wasn't going the way he thought it would at all.

* * *

Marinette stayed silent as Alya dragged her out of the college and over towards a bench by the river. Unbeknownst to her, it was the same bench Alya had been akumatised, but Alya thought bringing that up wasn't the best idea.

"Okay girl, what's happening with you?" she asks, sitting her friend down. "And don't say lack of sleep – you look like someone shot your puppy."

Marinette sighed, dropping to the seat with a heavy curse.

"Alya, it's not-"

She squeaked when she found Alya's finger on her lips.

"Ah ah! Don't even try it. Spill."

Marinette frowned at her friend. It was clear she wasn't going to let this go easily – maybe she should have skipped college today.

"Has it got anything to do with why I couldn't get a hold of you yesterday?"

She started to shake her head, then paused.

Technically, it sort of did. She just needed to pretend Chat wasn't…well, Chat.

"It's kind of complicated" Marinette began. "I was with a…friend I haven't seen in a while."

"What happened?" Alya asked.

"It's not easy to explain" Marinette continued. "It's not really something I can talk about but…I asked them not to do something. It was really important that he didn't do this thing, and he knew that. But last night, they decided they couldn't do this one. Simple. Thing!"

By the end, her hands were clenched and she was all but screaming through gritted teeth. Alya could only stare with wide eyes as her friend stood up and started pacing in front of her.

"You know, I still can't believe he did it. I trusted him! He's like – my best friend aside from you, he always has my back. And now…"

She trails off, and her entire body seems to droop. Alya bit her lip, and sat up, hesitantly wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Must have been pretty important if you can't tell me what it was."

Marinette dropped her head into her hands. "Alya, I really wish I could, but-"

"Hey girl, I get it, really" Alya interrupts. "I know you would. If you need to talk, I'm here."

The pigtailed girl gave a dark chuckle.

"The worst part is I don't think he realises how bad it was. I think he actually thought it was a **good** thing that he did what he did."

"Did you yell at him?"

"A little. I threw a vase at him?"

Alya snickered, and Marinette smiled despite herself.

"I didn't really have time – I ended up running off, so we haven't really dealt with it. But now I don't know how I'm supposed to face him again without screaming and never stopping. And putting it off isn't an option. We have a tendency to meet up unexpectedly, so I can't even prepare for when I'll see him next."

"Well, maybe you'll get lucky, and after a good night's sleep he realised how stupid he was and he'll apologise when you see him next."

Marinette snorts. "Oh sure, he got a good night's sleep. No way that happened, he's too much of an egomaniac to realise how badly he screwed up."

"Really? If he's so bad, why are you friends with him?"

She got a groan in reply.

"Because until last night, he was the most trusting, loyal and reliable guy you could want around. I could always count on him – and now I don't know how I can face him again. I kind of hate him, and I hate him for _making_ me hate him."

"Do you want to scream into the river?" Alya offered, and Marinette shook her head.

"No. Just…let me vent to you for a while?"

Alya laughed.

"Any time. Let it out Marinette."

* * *

Adrien was relatively certain if he circled the top floor of the college one more time, he was going to wear a groove in the floor.

Marinette and Alya still hadn't come back, and there was less than 15 minutes till classes started up again. Apparently striking up a conversation was going to have to wait until after college…although he had violin lessons, so he might actually have to wait until tomorrow.

…But he couldn't wait another day! Part of him understood that time was a good thing, but a larger part of him hated the idea of just sitting in class with his lady sitting behind him and not doing anything about it.

"You know, it might be less stress if you just stand at the door" Plagg mutters from Adrien's shirt. Adrien just sighs.

"I don't want to corner her" Adrien argues. "It's probably best to make it more casual."

"Yes, nothing says 'casual' like staking out a door from on high so you can bump into the love of your life by accident" Plagg snickers. Adrien just rolls his eyes and pulls his shirt closer, forcing the kwami to finish giggling in private.

There was movement at the gate, and he perked up when Alya and Marinette walked back into the courtyard. Marinette looked a little better, but nowhere near her usual self. Adrien moved towards the staircase, planning to meet up with them, only to pause at the top when the two of them sat on the bottom step. He was just about to descend the staircase when Marinette suddenly snapped, her words keeping him frozen in place.

"I just…I'm just so angry at him right now!" Marinette burst out, fists out and clenched. "I'm trying to calm down but the more I think about it the angrier I get. But I can't just ignore him for the rest of my life because La…because he's kind of a big part of my life, and then I get angry because he's the one who messed everything up but I'm the one who feels awful!"

Marinette was gasping for air by the end of her rant, and Adrien winces, the words he'd wanted to say getting caught in his throat and leaving him silent.

He'd hurt her.

He'd really hurt her.

He can't bring himself to look at her again, and glances off to the side. After a few moments, Marinette recovered, and dropped her head on Alya's shoulder.

"I wish I could reset the last 24 hours."

Her friend chuckled.

"Know the feeling. Feel better now?"

He can barely hear the reply, but the misery in Marinette's voice is still clear as day.

"Not really. I don't think I'll be better for a while, I need time to just be angry before I see them again."

"If that's what you need, that's what you need" Alya replied. "Hey, after college we can head to yours and beat up some virtual bad guys to smash out some of those feelings, what do you say?"

Whatever Marinette says, Adrien can't pick it up. Suddenly, Marinette stands up, and Adrien bolts to the side, vanishing through the open door of an empty classroom as the girl leaves her friend and heads back upstairs. He catches a glimpse of her face, still pale and miserable, as she turns towards the classroom, and he hits his head against the doorframe, before gritting his teeth in determination.

Marinette might not be in any mood to hear it, but Adrien can't leave it like this. Even if it messes things up even more, he can't leave Marinette in this pit of anger. He chases after her, turning down the corridor.

"Marinette-"

Whatever he was going to say dies on his lips, freezing as he spots the purple butterfly flying the quad, heading straight for the girl's purse.

His eyes widen.

Akuma.

Ladybug.

"Marinette!"

He barely realised he'd yelled her name, or that she'd to spin round at the sound of his voice. Before he even realised he was moving, he'd pushed the girl out of the way, knocking her to the ground. A second later, his eyes widened as he felt 'something' brush against his lower back, his belt beginning to stain purple and his body tensing. At the sound of his voice, his classmates had run out the classroom door and into the hall, getting involuntary front row seats for the start of an akumatisation.

Marinette's eyes were wide with horror, and Adrian braced himself for the sound of Hawkmoth in his ear, the thick miasma starting to clog his mind.

Only…

There was nothing.

He gasped as the presence suddenly vanished from his head, and the entire class watched in astonishment as the butterfly re-emerged from his belt, purple slipping off and turning white as it fluttered back into the sky.

For a moment, everyone stood frozen, trying to process what they'd seen. Eventually, the silence was broken by Nino clearing his throat, and voicing what everyone was thinking.

"Uh, what just happened?" Nino asked. "Did anyone know they could do that? Because I didn't know they could do that."

Marinette was still frozen, staring up at Adrien in shock. Adrien wasn't much better, eyes partially glazed in shock. A second later, he was jerked back to life by Chloe lunging to his side and pulling him up.

"Oh Adrikins!" She sobbed. "I was so worried for you! I should have known you were far too cool to get sucked in by that villain."

Adrien winced, and slipped out her hold to turn his attention back to Marinette.

"Thanks Chloe" he said, holding out a hand to the girl still frozen on the ground. "But I don't think that's what happened. Are you okay Marinette?"

He frowned when the girl didn't answer, still just staring up at him. He bit his lip, and wondered if he should pull her up by force when she finally blinked, taking his hand. Her face was rather red when she was back on her feet, but she didn't appear hurt. He would have gone to her side again, but winced when he felt something sharp bite into chest.

"Marinette!"

Both jerked up as they heard Alya, the girl bolting up the stairs and heading straight for them, horror on her face. Adrien moved to the side as she hugged the other girl.

"Dammit, I leave you alone for thirty seconds" she hissed. "You'd think I of all people would know better."

"I-It's okay Alya" Marinette whispered. "Nothing happened."

"Yeah, but how? I totally thought we were gonna have to face Super-Villain-Model Adrian for a moment there" Alya questioned. "I think this is the first time I've ever heard of an Akuma not being able to infect someone" she said.

"I'm not complaining" Adrien said, wincing as the sharp pain returned, and dug into his shirt. Plagg's tiny fangs snapped straight onto a finger, and he hissed, trying to hide the pain from his classmates.

"If I may" Max said, adjusting his glasses as attention focused on him. "It's entirely possible that each Akuma is trained to infect one specific person. Since the Akuma depend on extreme emotional instability – infecting someone not experiencing such might not be possible."

"Oh, so since Adrien wasn't feeling whatever's got Marinette so down today, it couldn't latch on?" Alya said. "That would make sense."

"Ugh, does that mean Hawkmoth will try again?" Chloe snapped. "How about you do us all a favour and get out of college before you threaten us all again?"

"Chloe!" Adrien snapped.

He was more dismayed that Marinette didn't defend herself, keeping her head down. From the way the rest of the class were refusing to make eye contact, it appeared they thought Chloe might have a point.

Probably a good thing the akuma wasn't coming back for a second try. Adrien had a feeling he had enough anger for akumatisation now.

The kwami currently chewing off a digit wasn't helping either.

Finally, Marinette sighed, glancing over to Alya. "I…I think I need to go home for a while" she whispered. "Do you think I- "

"Girl, I am not letting you out of my sight" Alya warns, but starts heading for the door with her friend. "Let Ms Bustier know what happened kay? I'll be back as soon as I get Marinette back to her parents."

Nino gave a thumbs up, while the rest of the class nodded as the girls headed down the steps. Not long after, once he was certain Chloe wasn't about to follow, Adrien headed after them.

"I, uh…gotta go splash some water on my face" Adrien faked, inching away. "Be back soon."

* * *

The second Adrien hit the bathroom, Plagg threw himself out of the inner shirt pocket, snarling obscenities at the blond.

"-pid, moronic, cheese hating imbecile of a wielder!"

Adrien ignored the ranting coming from the kwami, choosing to run cold water over his now bloody fingers.

"Dammit Plagg, I have to write with this hand."

He yelped when the kwami suddenly lunged into his vision, teeth clamping down on his nose. He made to pull him off, only for the creature to fly away before he could make contact.

"You're lucky I didn't bite them clean off!" Plagg roared, and Adrien paused.

Plagg sounded angry. The kwami had one of the most laid back personalities Adrien had ever met – the cat creature didn't even see the need to transform unless he had some personal motivation. The teen didn't think he'd ever seen Plagg actually lose his temper.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and felt himself jerk back as the kwami's eyes narrowed to paper thin slits.

"What's wrong?" Plagg hissed. "What's wrong? You just let an akuma infect you! Willingly! If your emotions had been even slightly less out of whack than they are, you could have handed your miraculous and Ladybug's identity to Hawk Moth on a silver platter!"

Adrien's eyes widened. "But…it was Ladybug!" he protested. "I couldn't let Ladybug be- "

"At least if it had been her, you could have destroyed the possession, had Ladybug purify it once she changed back, and Hawkmoth would only have known her identity" Plagg snapped back. "As of last night, protecting you from his clutches is more important than Ladybug."

"What!" Adrien yelped. "But that's- "

"The price of being the one who has the knowledge that Hawkmoth desperately wants" Plagg warns. "So long as you know and she doesn't, you need to be more careful."

"Then I'll tell her- "

"Kid, you've already wrecked your partnership with your last impulsive act. Marinette can barely say two words to Adrien, you really want to bring that into the Ladybug equation?"

Adrien opened his mouth…and nothing came out. Eventually, he walked out of the bathroom and slumped down on the steps leading to the second floor. Plagg sighed, and floated down to sit next to him.

"Sorry kid" he said. "I kind of hoped she'd react better than this. But Tikki always had a soft spot for the stubborn and dramatic ones."

"Why didn't you try and stop me?" Adrien asked. "Sure, you were never encouraging about it, but you never acted like it would be a big deal for us to know."

Plagg just waved an arm in dismissal. "I've never put much stock in the whole 'secret identities' thing when it comes to other miraculous. I've been doing this for millennia and I promise you, it never lasts. Ladybug and Cat Noir always find each other, whether they want to or not. Why Tikki insists on following that stupid rule, I will never know – she's always been a stickler for the rules, even the stupid ones. But that doesn't mean you act like an idiot and threaten the safety of everyone by throwing yourself on an Akuma!"

The boy sighs. "Okay, I get it. But I don't regret it."

Plagg sighs. "Why do I always get the emotional ones?" he moans. "Fine. If you're going to keep being stupid and noble, we need to go see your paramour and reveal the truth. If you finding out her identity

is enough to make her a target for akumatisation, the only way she's going to recover is if she finds out yours too. You'll both be in more danger, but at least you'll be equal again. Just don't expect things to magically fix themselves if you do – even Ladybug's not that lucky."

Adrien nods, face firm.

"All right Plagg, hope you've managed to eat this morning, cause Chat Noir's got a house call to make."

* * *

"I'm so sorry Tikki!" Marinette wailed. "I knew I was upset, but I didn't think it was that bad."

The kwami shook her head. "It's okay Marinette" she soothed. "I thought you would be better if you were around Alya and Adrien. It never occurred to me that Hawkmoth might target you."

Marinette just groaned, wrapping her arms tight around her chest. Once she'd gotten home, Alya had wasted no time in explaining to her parents what had happened, and Marinette had been sent all but flying to her room, with her parents showing up every thirty seconds with additional blankets, pastries or hot drinks. She'd somehow managed to convince them that all she really wanted was some time alone to marathon run some Ladyblog videos, and they'd finally let her be when they found her curled up in her seat, wrapped in a blanket and treats in arms reach while she watched Ladybug and Chat Noir pound on a recent akuma. After ten minutes of solitary, she'd finally allowed Tikki out and let herself cry. The kwami was saying little, choosing to rub her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her.

How could she be so stupid? Letting Chat's actions upset her to the point that she was getting targeted by Hawkmoth? Her partner would have been left to take on an akumatised ladybug all by himself. And that was assuming Hawkmoth didn't just demand his newest slave hand over her miraculous in exchange for the power boost anyway, leaving Chat Noir with no way to purify akumas. If Adrien hadn't saved her, Paris would no doubt be burning right now. What kind of superhero left herself open like that?

She froze.

Oh God.

She'd put Adrien in danger! He'd almost been akumatised! And she hadn't even thanked him, just walked away? He must think she was the most callous and insensitive human being on the planet! How was she ever going to face him again?

Suddenly, there was a sharp tap from her trapdoor, and Tikki floated upwards.

"It must be Chat Noir. He must have heard what happened."

Marinette's eyes widened, and she stumbled out of the nest of blankets she'd made.

"How could he-"

She trailed off and sighed. _'Right, he knows my real name, so he probably goes to my college or knows someone who does. My near akumatisation must be all over college by now.'_

He knocks again, and Marinette slumps up her ladder. She still doesn't really want to see him, but Chat Noir will stay up there all day and night if he has to, and the incident this afternoon meant Ladybug couldn't afford to hold it off.

As expected, Chat is crouched next to the door, getting ready to knock a third time. He doesn't speak, but his ears droop when he takes in her puffy eyes and red face.

"Are you okay?" he asks, voice softer than she's ever heard it. She glances to the side, and pulls herself out onto the roof. Chat steps back as she does, but his eyes never leave her face. Tikki is suddenly by her side, frowning at the black costumed hero.

"She's been rather overwhelmed this afternoon" Tikki warns, and Chat winces, ears down.

"Right, I heard. Um, we were never really introduced but, Plagg called you 'Tikki?'"

Tikki nods, though she's still glaring at him. Clearly, he's not going to win over the kwami anytime soon, so he turns his attention to the real reason for his visit. Marinette has moved over to the railing, arms crossed and eyes flicking between him and the ground.

"I'm still mad at you" she mutters, and Chat bits his lip.

"I kind of figured that."

"What were you thinking?" she snapped, arms uncrossing and taking a step forward. He restrained the urge to look away.

"I was thinking that I couldn't take one more day not knowing who you were" he admits. It's clearly not what she wants to hear – he can already tell she's getting ready to yell at him, so he pushes forward.

"Listen! Please. I…I love Ladybug" he says, and Marinette freezes. It's astonishing just how freeing it is to actually come out and say it. No puns, no flirting, just straight out honesty.

"I love Ladybug" he repeats, and thinks he could say nothing but those three words for the rest of his life given half the chance. "I've been in love with Ladybug practically since the day we met. You're all I think about. In battle, I have to remind myself to watch the akuma and not you. When it's been peaceful, I start praying for an akuma attack just for a chance to see you again! All I want is to be with you, and I hate that I can only do that whenever Paris is in danger. I know it's selfish, but when I had the chance to find out who you were, who the girl behind the mask was, I couldn't walk away. I _tried_ , I swear but…"

He trails off, trying to see how she's reacting. Marinette is just staring at him, less angry and more shocked…and a little nervous.

"You… _love_ Ladybug?"

Chat Noir nods.

"But…you can't love Ladybug" she insists.

"My Lady, I got so jealous of a guy who was crushing on you that I got him akumatised by pretending we were a couple" Chat replies, face deadpan. "I assure you, I can, and do, love Ladybug. And I'd very much like the chance to fall in love with the girl she is whenever she's not Ladybug."

Marinette doesn't seem to know how to take that, and slumps against the railings. She eyes him up, apparently coming to a decision.

"I'm sorry but…I like someone else."

His entire body drops.

"That's okay" _'Liar!'_ "You're not responsible for my feelings. It might take me time, but I'll settle for being friends with Marinette. Even if you don't feel the same, you're still my lady, my partner against Hawkmoth."

Oddly enough, that didn't seem to make her feel better, and her eyes glanced aside.

"Then you're not going to like what I'm about to say. I've been thinking about it ever since that akuma this afternoon.

Chat Noir was ready for her to yell at him again. That after finding out her identity, he wasn't to come within fifty feet of her regardless of his crush or desire to know her.

He wasn't ready for what she actually said.

"I'm going to give up my miraculous."

"What!" Tikki shrieked, but Marinette ignored her, focusing on her other partner. Chat Noir wasn't reacting any better, jerking back as if her words had stabbed him in the heart.

"What?" he whispers. "My lady, Marinette, you can't be serious!"

Marinette shook her head. "I'm completely serious" she says. "This afternoon just proved I'm not suitable to be Ladybug anymore. If I'd been akumatised, you'd be short a partner and Hawkmoth would have my earrings. Tikki needs to find another wielder, so she and Paris won't be at risk.

Her kwami was immediately in her face, anger and frustration written all over it. "Don't be ridiculous Marinette!" she insisted. "One mistake does not make a failed Ladybug."

"Listen to the kwami!" Chat Noir agreed, before darting over and grabbing Marinette by the shoulders. "Ladybug, you're the best thing to happen to this city in years. You're kind, and smart, and brave, and resourceful. You can't give up now, not because of me."

 _'I'll give up Plagg and my ring before I let you abandon Ladybug'_ Chat thought inwardly. ' _I won't let it end like this.'_

"It's okay to be angry" he continues. "That just means you're human. You don't blame other akuma victims for being targets, do you?"

Marinette's eyes widen. "Th-that's different" she splutters.

"How?" Chat asks. "How is it different?"

"It just is!"

"He's right Marinette" Tikki insists, flying to her side. "You're not the first Ladybug to have her identity discovered. Or the first to be targeted by evil forces."

"But-"

"No buts," Chat Noir interrupted, grateful for the kwami's support (even if the creature was still half glaring at him). This got him a familiar look of frustration that soothed the ache in his chest. "The city shouldn't be punished for my poor impulse control."

Marinette bit her lip and looked away, but her shoulders relaxed, and both Chat Noir and Tikki breathed a sigh of relief.

He gets the feeling neither bug is going to be happy with what he says next though.

"Marinette, you need to know who I am."

To his frustration, the girl jerked out of his grip with a scowl. Tikki was rubbing her eyes and muttering something he couldn't quite make out, though 'Plagg' was coming up quite prominently.

"Chat! Our identities are-"

"No!" Chat Noir yelled with slightly more anger than he wanted, silencing the girl. "You're right, I betrayed you. But the only way we're going to be able to move past this is if there's no more secrets. Because Ladybug needs to trust Chat Noir."

He sighs. "And there's no way I can stay away now that I know who you are. Since Chat Noir can't get close to Marinette without putting her in danger, it has to be without the mask."

"But…"

His ears droop. "If you still don't want anything to do with me once you know who I am, I'll walk away" he promises, ignoring the subconscious _liar! Liar! Liar!_ Running through his head. "But at least let me even the playing field."

"Chat-"

"Please, Marinette."

Finally, Marinette sighs.

"If I say no, you'll probably just transform anyway" she mutters, and Chat winces when he realises she's not exactly _wrong_. "At least if I say yes I can pretend I have some say in this. Go ahead."

He sighs in relief, and closes his eyes as he lets the transformation drop.

In front of him, he hears Marinette squeak, while Plagg starts snickering at his side

"Hiya Tikki! This took what? Six months? Think that's a new record."

"Plagg, you really shouldn't be so pleased with yourself. Although…this is a surprise…"

Since Marinette isn't interrupting them, or screaming in horror, Adrien takes the opportunity to open his eyes. The girl in front of him has her hands clasped to her mouth, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. Adrien swallows.

"Marinette?"

The girl squeaks again.

"A-A-Adrien? Y-you're Adrien?"

Adrien nods, and he frowns in confusion as Marinette starts shaking her head.

"No. Nonononononono you…you can't be Chat Noir" she stutters. "Chat Noir broke into the cupboard but Adrien would never do something like that, because Adrien is kind and polite and perfect and Chat Noir is a huge flirt with bad jokes and, oh my god Adrien can't be Chat Noir because then Adrien was running around Paris in a leather cat suit and flirting with me in between cat puns!"

"Wow, you got a high strung one this time didn't you Tikki?" Plagg snickers. "And I thought the lovesick model had issues."

"Plagg!" the red kwami snapped. Adrien however, ignored them in favour of watching Marinette suffer from some kind of mental breakdown.

"…Perfect?" he repeats, because that's a weird word to use to describe a guy you don't really interact with.

Marinette suddenly chokes on her word salad, freezing in place and covering her mouth with her hand as she registers exactly who is on her roof.

"A-A-Adrien!"

The boy yelps and jerks forward as Marinette's legs buckle and the girl all but keels over. Unfortunately, even though he's saved her from the fall, it doesn't seem to have helped – Marinette's gone bright red.

"Um, Marinette, are you okay?"

The girl swallows, and slowly stumbles out of his grip, starting to pace around the room.

"I'm fine, I'm fine" she splutters. "I just process this need-I mean need to process this. It just…Adrien?"

"We established that a while ago Princess" Plagg chortled, then winced as the other kwami knocked him on the head.

"Ow! Tikki!"

* * *

Five minutes later, Marinette had stopped babbling, and the two of them were leaning against the railing. Marinette had dropped her head into her arms, while Adrien sat next to her, but not making contact. Eventually, he caught one of her eyes glancing at him through a crack between her limbs.

"So which one is the real you?" she asked, and Adrien frowns.

"Both? I mean, I don't have to be the Agreste heir when I'm Chat Noir. Nobody expects anything from me, so I can do things I'd never get to as Chat. But I'm still Adrien deep down. It's not a case of either or."

He risks a smile. "After all, you're Marinette and Ladybug. They're both you, right?"

The girl ducks her head down again, and Adrien takes a risk, moving a hand to her shoulder and squeezing it lightly.

"Hey, I swear, it's going to be okay. I don't care what Hawkmoth does, he's not going to get us. We're better than him."

Marinette gave a broken laugh, but she finally emerged from her shelter, heading lifting to hit the railings.

"This…I honestly don't know if this the worst, or best, night of my life" she says. "I can't believe the guy I've been crushing on is also my pun-making, leather catsuit wearing flirt of a partner."

Adrien freezes.

"…Crush?"

Marinette's face immediately flares red again, and ducks into her arms again.

"No…please can you forget you heard that?"

Adrien can't help the laugh that bubbles up.

"I'm afraid not my lady. You just made this cat's day."

Marinette had a crush on him. Ladybug had a crush on Adrien. Chat Noir never had a chance because his partner was already in love with his civilian identity.

This was ridiculous – if he hadn't opened the door, how long would they have been forced to dance around each other?

The smile stays when Marinette recovers, and he bites his lip when she smiles back.

"Well, I've come this far. Might as well go all in."

He turns and takes one of Marinette's hands, kissing it the same way Chat Noir has done to Ladybug a dozen times.

"Now that this _Chat_ is out of the bag, will you go out with me milady?"

For a moment, Marinette's face lit up, and Adrien's smile started to turn into a Cheshire grin, only to pause as Marinette suddenly dimmed, and looked away.

"…I don't think that's a good idea."

Adrien's face fell.

"But…I thought you said you liked me?"

Marinette's head jerked up, clearly torn.

"I do!" she insisted. "I've had a crush on you ever since you gave me your umbrella! Honestly, thirty minutes ago if you'd asked I'd be passed out in a euphoric coma after saying yes."

"Then why-"

"Because thirty minutes ago, Adrien Agreste wasn't Chat Noir" Marinette interrupted, and Adrien's heart sank. "Who I'm still kind of angry with. And even if you happen to be the same person, I don't think it's right to start something until I'm certain I can love Chat Noir as much as I love Adrien."

She gives a shaky smile.

"I'm not saying never" she insists. "Just…we were both in love with half a person. We should probably take some time to get to know the other half too. Properly this time."

His heart paused in its descent, and Adrien smiled in relief.

"I think I can live with that."

* * *

Adrien is hanging outside the entrance of the college when Marinette arrives. Her face is pale, but she looks a million euros compared to how she'd been the day before.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, quickly falling into step beside her. Marinette gives him a bright smile.

"Honestly? I'm still a little rough, but better than I was" she admits.

"See? Told you letting me reveal myself would make you feel better."

Marinette's eyes narrowed.

" _Chat_ , it only worked as well as it did because we actually knew each other. And now we're both at risk if Hawkmoth manages to akumatise one of us. You've still got a long way to go before I forgive you for that."

Adrien flinches, but there's still a slight smile on his face when the two of them walk into the classroom. Thankfully Chloe hasn't arrived yet to spot the two, but Alya and Nino both perk up at the sight of Adrien and Marinette in each other's company.

"Well this is different" Alya jokes, taking in Marinette and her apparent lack of stuttering. The pigtailed girl smiled back.

"It is, isn't it."

"Yo Dude" Nino greeted, fist bumping Adrien as he sat down. "Didn't know you and Marinette were so close."

Adrien laughed. "Yeah. It's kind of a new thing. I asked her out last night."

Nino's eyes widen, and Alya jerks up in her seat, jaw almost on the floor.

"WHAT!"

Adrien shrugged, and smiled over at Marinette, who smiles back.

"She said no. For now anyway."

"WHAT!"

"Seriously Alya? I don't think the class on the other side of the college heard you" Nino joked. Alya ignores him, grabbing Marinette's arm and yanking her down.

"I'm sorry, did I wake up in a parallel universe?" she hisses. "Adrien asked **you** out, and you said **no**? Have you actually been akumatised this time?"

Marinette blushed and shook her head. "No. We're just going to be friends for now."

Alya's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really? Marinette, less than 24 hours ago you were incapable of speaking to the boy because you were so head over heels for him, and now you're telling me you're over him?"

Marinette gives a nervous giggle. "I'm not over him exactly" she admits. "He came over last night to see how I was. I got to know him a little better, and I realised I didn't know him as well as I thought. It wouldn't be fair to date him when I had him on that pedestal. I want to get to know the real Adrien, warts and all."

"Huh, never thought I'd hear you say that about your Mr. Perfect."

 _'That's because he's not perfect'_ Marinette thinks. ' _And now that I know that, I can actually treat him like a person and not an idol.'_

Alya doesn't need to know how she came to that epiphany though. The girl in question is just shaking her head, and holds out a fist for Marinette to bump herself.

"Well, congrats girl. I look forward to watching the fireworks. Just hope you're prepared for the onslaught of Hurricane Chloe if she ever hears about it" she warns. "Not sure what would be worse – Adrien doing the asking or you refusing."

"I'll handle Chloe" Adrien promises. "She's still my friend, but I won't let her hurt Marinette."

Alya smirks. "Uh huh. I'll believe that when I see it lover boy. You let that girl walk all over you. It's a good thing Marinette knows how to hold her own."

"Alya!"

Nino chuckles while the dark-haired girl hisses at her friend, before turning to stare at Adrien.

"But seriously dude, rejections rough. You sure you're okay?"

Adrien pauses, and glances back towards Marinette…before his lips curl into a very familiar smirk.

Marinette's eyes widen, and then narrow.

 _'Oh, don't you even think about-'_

"Yeah" Adrien replies. "I'm _feline_ just fine."

Marinette groans and slams her head on the desk.

She misses the perfect idol already.

And she is not smiling at that stupid pun.

Not even a little bit.

Really.

 **END**

* * *

 _Why didn't the akuma work? Maybe Max has the right idea, maybe they're person specific, or maybe Hawkmoth doesn't want Adrien akumatised. Guess we'll never know._


End file.
